It is general knowledge that the allotted vacation time in one’s work life is simply never enough; subjectively I don’t think anyone could or would argue this sentiment. Even though in certain occupations the norm or the accumulation can potentially add up to the entire summer, there will always be an invite to a getaway wedding in February or otherwise and suddenly those several weeks are no longer enough. This term is known as social adaptation and simply put; “the more we get, the more we want”.
Regardless of the season we are in, we are always going to face people who have made it their favourite for a variety of reasons; there may be several hunters who need some time in October, or perhaps the skiers in January. The dilemma lies in those that don’t prioritize and choose to take it all, one way or another. As we know; however, when the route of deceit is chosen there is always a price to pay; unfortunately the organization is often the victim writing the cheque.
We all live in a global village of transparency which definitely brings its advantages; we no longer have to count on a fellow employee with a guilty conscious or a suspecting neighbour. Sometimes an individual’s reputation just can’t stay concealed and we can truly get an accurate sense of the big plan. In a recent WSIB case, we concluded that this was the issue we were faced with:
A fairly new employee of a manufacturing organization had requested a week off; however, she had already exhausted all of her allotted holidays and as a result was denied the request. In a bold move, the subject complained of an injury sustained in the workplace only weeks prior to the requested, yet denied, time. She was well aware of the process and knew that modified duties would have to be offered initially. She continued to play the game and gradually the modified duties became too much for the alleged injury; her plan was all falling together perfectly. She then presented the employer with a doctor’s note stating that the work load was too much and time off would be needed. This was now heading down the road of WSIB and essentially leading this new employee to an all inclusive summer vacation courtesy of the organization. After some investigative research (news articles, club memberships) we found that the individual in question was a star beach volleyball player and in fact the week she had requested was the same week a US tournament was being held that would be of definite interest to her if she wasn’t injured; it was a chance we were willing to take. When we received the green light from the organization (and the border) we were able to attend the said tournament that she was in fact participating in. Although we weren’t the only camera in the stands, our pictures would certainly have a different meaning.